Ash the Next Avatar
by author12306
Summary: Ash is a nobody, hardly even a bender. But when he discovers he IS a bender, and the Avatar, his world is turned upside-down. Him and his best friend Ann have to stop a war between earth- and fire-benders. Can they handle this, even with the help of their new friends? And how can Ash be the Avatar, without his past life? Read and Find Out! :D Rated for violence.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello, if any of you are from the nick boards then you might remember this story, but it's a little different. And if you are one of my readers from there, tell me and I'll probably remember you. Anyway, if you're reading this I thank you for giving me your precious time, and please tell what I can improve.

Disclaimer: I do not own LoK or AtLA

* * *

Chapter 1

Ash stared blankly at the ceiling, his green eyes half open. The thin covers of his bed did little to block the cold that slipped through the uninsulated walls and thin window. He hoped that the normal, shrill call of "Get to work you useless waste of space" would not come. For a moment he even half-wished she had died in her sleep, but immediately scolded himself for wishing death upon another living being. But like all other wishes, this one was quickly killed.

"Ash! Get down here and get to work!" the familiar voice called. Ash glanced around his room, and his eyes landed on the orange bandana in the corner. The piece of cloth was all that was left for him to remember his parents by. _Is it__ December_ already?_ I guess that makes it twelve years since I was brought here. What a waste!_

"One second," Ash sighed as he pulled a "clean" t-shirt over his head and slipped on the tennis shoes he had been wearing for years, each one was duct taped so it wouldn't fall apart and hurt him while he was walking.

He stumbled down the stairs, his brain still fuzzy from his lethargic morning. He walked through the kitchen, watching hungrily as the children of the family ate. He was roughly shoved aside, and when he looked up he saw the oldest boy of the family. He was a big, rough non-bender who hated Ash with every ounce of his being. Ash glared back and walked outside, letting the cold air chill his bare arms. As he walked to the barn he picked up a bag of feed and a bag of dried meat. He fed each animal, and then he reached the end of the stall, where a calico cat-bear lay in the straw, just waking p from a long night's sleep. Ash sat down in the dense straw next to the large cat-bear, "Hey Bear, how ya doing?"

Bear responded with a deep purr.

Ash rubbed Bear behind the ear, and Bear turned to face him, "I bet you wanna be free, huh, buddy. Like when you were a cub-kit," a sad smile crossed Ash's features as he thought about how hard both his life and Bear's life had been. Bear let out another purr and laid his head against Ash's thin arm. He scratched Bear under the chin and let the purr sound; it comforted him, having Bear so close to him. The darkness of the barn made Ash more comfortable than the brightly, artificially lit house. He leaned into Bear's thick fur and looked at the way the colors blended in the dark. "Bear, do you ever wonder what it would've been like if they hadn't taken you away from your home? I do, I wonder if I had siblings, maybe an older brother and sister, or an older brother. Maybe I have a younger brother who I could've taught how to climb trees. Maybe you had other litter mates, maybe a little sister to protect. Maybe they had a nice family," Ash whispered into Bear's fur, tears forming in his forest green eyes. "Maybe I had an older sister who would've tried to put nail polish on me, o-or maybe a younger sister who would always want me to play princess with her. Maybe I had a lot of siblings, and maybe we would all be benders. Our parents could've taught us how to use our bending. And maybe one day Ann and I would've met, under different circumstances, and we would be able to use our bending freely." Ash muttered, he was petting Bear's side and had his chin laid on Bear's shoulder blade.

Around Ann, the only water-bender in the family of Equalists who had "taken Ash in," Ash never cried and he never showed his emotions. Around Bear, however, Ash would cry and complain and whisper sadly to the large animal. He knew Bear was listening, and Bear knew when Ash was sad.

Ash's shoulders rose and fell with silent sobs and he buried his face deeper into Bear's warm fur. His tears made Bear's fur clump and stick but Bear didn't mind, "Maybe you would've lived your whole life in the wild. But that'll never happen, no matter how many maybe's and if only's none of it will ever happen," Ash spat bitterly, squeezing his eyes shut tight.

The sound of the door swinging open shook Ash from his sad state. He sat up and rubbed his face, trying to wipe the remaining tears away.

"Ash, are you in here?" a sweet voice asked.

"Yeah," Ash responded.

"Hi," Ann smiled, her blue eyes were dark in the dim light. Ann was holding a tissue to her lip, and there was blood on it.

"What happened, Ann?" Ash asked.

"I ran into someone from school on my way home yesterday and I accidentally bit my lip again today. It's fine," Ann said as she settled down next to Ash.

"Want me to beat 'em up?" Ash asked sarcastically, he was too weak to hurt a fly.

Ann giggled, "Sure."

"Yeah, good luck on that," Ash said sarcastically, but with good nature.

"S-so, uh, happy birthday," Ann tried to smile, but she just couldn't.

"Thanks," Ash smiled, he leaned back on his hands and put legs out because they were falling asleep.

"Hey Ash, I snuck out half of my breakfast, here," Ann said and handed Ash a paper plate of food.

"Thanks," Ash smiled, looking at the food as if it was the best thing he had seen in his life. He hungrily ate the toast and bacon, and he soon scarfed down the entire plate of food.

"Hey Ash, wanna take Bear out for a ride?" Ann asked, smiling and tilting her head to the side in questioning. She seemed happy and perky, but lately Ash had noticed how fearful she had been of school.

"Sure, lets go," Ash nodded with a smile and went to find Bear's saddle. He laid it over Bear's massive back and crouched to buckle it. He then went around and put the bridle and reins on. "Hop on."

"Alright," Ann nodded as she climbed onto the front of Bear's saddle. Ash climbed up behind her and grabbed the reins, his arms acting almost as restraints to keep Ann from falling. "Come on, Bear." Ash said, exaggerating the c in come. He nudged Bear's sides and Bear started at a steady trot.

* * *

Ash and Ann arrived near Toby City, a large, northern Earth Kingdom city. When they got closer a voice called both of them over.

"Yo, Ash! Where'r you going with that girl?" a boy asked, he was sitting on an upturned trashcan. His grey eyes were bright and looked as if he was bored and looking for something to do.

"I'm just going for a walk; what're you up to, Leavitt?" Ash asked.

"I'm just looking for trouble. I was thinking about pranking the other benders at the Bender House," a smirk crept onto Leavitt's face.

"Don't get into trouble with Pine, that dude is creepy," Ash shuddered as he thought of the water-bending leader of a group of outcast benders. _More like a pack than a group, _Ash thought, "Well, we're going up to the mountains. See ya Leavitt."

* * *

"Ash, watch out for ice!" Ann begged as she held tightly onto the front of the saddle. Bear's claws scraped on ice and he went sliding. They neared the edge of a cliff and as they went over the edge Ann tried to bend the snow below them to form a cushion. She couldn't, she wasn't that good of a bender. Suddenly rock from the cliff jutted out and they crashed down hard.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked, his breath fogging the air in front of him.

"Yeah," Ann nodded, then she looked around.

Ash followed her gaze "What's wrong?"

"How did that rock move?" Ann asked.

"I don't know, I just hit the wall and..." Ash faded out of speech and looked at his fist.

Ann looked again at the rock below them and back at Ash's hand, _Maybe he's a bender, like me. It would be nice to know another bender for a change, _Ann thought. "Ash, maybe you're an earth-bender. I mean, you've got the pale skin and green eyes," Ann her thoughts as she looked at Ash.

"How could I be? Your parents didn't kidnap me from the Earth Nation," Ash said.

"Sorry I suggested the idea," Ann murmured fearfully, "Uh, Ash, do you know where we are?"

Ash looked around, "No, I don't recognize this place. Oh, and I have a question... How do we get back up there?"

"I don't know, maybe you could try to earth-bend again," Ann smiled sweetly.

"I guess," Ash sighed, his brow furrowed in annoyance.

He slid off of Bear's back and tried a sloppy earth-bending stance that he had seen a few friends of his do. He hit the steep wall of rock that towered above them. Rocks jutted unevenly. Rocks Bear could climb back up.

* * *

"Now back to the question, 'where are we?'" Ann sighed, looking at the snow around them. Wind had covered Bear's tracks.

"Bear can smell the trail, I hope," Ash said, he rubbed Bear's ear before climbing on behind Ann.

* * *

"It's getting dark, we should find somewhere to sleep," Ash yawned and turned Bear to walk down the mountain.

Ann looked around, "Ash, where are we going?"

Ash yawned again before answering "There's an abandoned house around here. Usually a few people are staying there but it's always open for more people."

"Okay, so we're not wandering blindly," Ann sighed happily, this was the closest she had ever been to Toby City. Bear's slow movements brought them closer to the foot of the mountain, and when they reached the bottom Ann gasped. There was a steep hill that led to a large, frozen lake. There was a mountain across the lake and a house about twenty yards from the drop down to the lake. Behind the house was a thick forest of pine trees. Just a little ways away was the ocean.

"I came here once or twice before, when I tried to run away," Ash said as he sat up taller to look over Ann's shoulder at the landscape.

"This place is beautiful, and there's so much water here!" Ann's blue eyes shone with excitement.

"Maybe tomorrow you can practice your bending," Ash said, Ann jumped because he didn't realize he was leaning forward and she didn't expect his voice to be so loud, "Sorry."

"So we're staying here?" Ann pointed to the abandoned house that tilted sideways from the whipping winds blown over the ocean.

"Yep, and don't worry, it won't fall," Ash assured her, sensing her tension. "Let's go Bear." Ash said and tapped Bear's sides with his heels. Bear continued walking towards the house, the door had been kicked down at some point and all of the windows were broken with withered vines crawling through. All of the walls in the house were gone and pieces of insulation hung from the walls.

"I wonder how long this place has been abandoned," Ann thought aloud as he slid off of Bear's back. Ash was already down and once Ann was out of the saddle he crouched next to Bear and loosened the saddle. He slid it off and laid it on the wall before going around and taking off the bridle.

"There ya go, buddy," Ash said as he rubbed Bear's head. Ash walked over to a corner and sat down; Bear walked over and sat next to him.

"Think we'll be able to get home tomorrow?" Ann asked with a yawn.

"You can walk that far, can't you Ann?" Ash asked quietly.

"I don't know, maybe. But we've got Bear-" _He wants to stay here, and keep Bear here too,_ Ann cut herself off.

"I'm sorry, Ann. But I promise I'll go back in awhile to see you, and if you can't make it I'll take you back and drop you off. But I am going to keep Bear and stay here. Just for a little taste of freedom," Ash said, seeing the look of sorrow in his friend's eyes.

"Promise you'll come back?" Ann asked, looking back at him.

"Maybe, but I know that I'm not gonna stay for long," Ash said.

"Can I stay here?" Ann asked. Ash suddenly remembered a week before when Ann came home with a black eye, and that morning when her lip was bleeding again.

"Sure, if you want," Ash nodded.

"I don't think I'd be able to stand living at home without you. You know what they think of me," Ann smiled bitterly as she curled into a ball in the corner, wrapping her arms around her legs hoping to keep warm.

* * *

"Who are you?" a voice growled and awoke Ann from the light sleep she had reached.

"What are you two doing here?" another voice questioned.

Ann opened her eyes and saw a girl with long, silky black hair and cold amber eyes glaring at them. She was in a fire-bending stance. Next to her a boy with dark grey hair and brown eyes held a shovel almost like a knife.

"We're just passing by. We got lost and we took shelter here," Ash replied.

"You look like an earth-bender! What type of bender are you?!" the girl demanded.

"I don't know, and believe me I am not working with those earth-benders who are fighting against you. I've hear of them and I think they sound like annoying idiots," Ash said.

"What's your name?" the girl questioned, narrowing her eyes and tilting her head, but only slightly.

"I'm Ash, and that's Ann," Ash answered and pointed over to Ann.

"You guys can stay here awhile, I guess," the girl said. She walked over to one corner of the room, but didn't take her eyes off of Ash and Ann. The non-bender followed and sat against the wall. He seemed a lot more relaxed than the girl.

"Kaite, come on, we can trust some earth-benders," he yawned.

"Say the one who nearly got his skull crushed by one today!" Kaite, the girl, muttered, "And give me one reason to trust an earth-bender, will you?"

"Our great great uncle was an earth-bender," he responded.

"Great Great Uncle Bolin? He can hardly even talk anymore, we can trust our relatives," Kaite said. The siblings seemed to have forgotten about Ash and Ann.

"You're hopeless Kaite," the boy sighed.

"At least I can go ten minutes in a fight without calling for help, Luke," Kaite growled.

"Should we stop them?" Ann asked when Luke got out the shovel and Kaite let a flame appear in her hand.

"This looks like a sibling rivalry, lets stay out," Ash whispered back to her.

Ann nodded.

* * *

Everyone had been asleep for about an hour when a loud crash woke everyone but Luke.

"What was that?" Kaite asked and sleepily rubbed her eyes. When the dust settled in the middle of the room there was a small creature sitting there.

"A rat-fox," Ann answered as the creature ran over to her. It scrambled onto her lap and then her shoulder, "She's got a collar."

"What's her name?" Ash asked.

"Radar, but there's no address on the tag," Ann frowned as she held the creature close to her. Soon Ann was asleep again, with her newfound pet curled up under her chin.

* * *

"I got the water-bender," a voice said as Ann was tied up.

"Luke, go help Ann!" Kaite snapped.

"Got it, sis," Luke responded.

* * *

A/N: And to anyone who read it before I did the rewrite, it may be a little different. Sorry about that.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own AtLA or LoK, only my story and my own characters

* * *

Chapter 2

Luke let out a battle cry and flung himself at the tall water-bender who was tying Ann up. He beat the guy over the head with a shovel and used the sharp side of the shovel to cut the ropes around Ann's arms. Ann jumped up and ran outside to the lake; she needed something to bend. She trailed water from the lake and returned to help the others. She tried desperately to freeze it, but she could hardly keep the water from spilling to the ground. She finally managed to separate the water into separate sections. It shook and trembled, and drops of the water spilled to the ground. The sections of water formed into uneven daggers. She grabbed them, unable to use them with her bending. With swift feet she ran towards a blonde girl who was fighting Ash. Ann took one ice dagger in her left hand and pushed it through the fabric of the other girl's shirt. Ann pinned the dagger to the wall and continued to trap the girl.

"Thistle! Help!" The blonde girl called to the water-bender who had first tied Ann up.

"I'm on it, Sparrow!" He responded as he kicked Luke's legs out from under him and curled his hand into a fist. Suddenly Luke's body stiffened, tensed, and jerked.

"Ow," Luke hissed between clenched teeth.

"What are you doing to him?!" Kaite shrieked as she sent as blast of fire at Thistle.

"Can't you figure it out? Haven't you read books about the forbidden art of blood-bending?" Thistle asked in a mocking voice.

"Ah," Luke struggled on the ground, his back bending in unnatural ways as his arm twisted behind his back.

"Leave him alone!" Ann said, and for a second Thistle's eyes went wide and Luke went still, his breathing heavy and scared.

"I see we have a water-bender here," Thistle gave a gentle smile, "I'm sure Pine would love to find someone as strong as her. She hardly knows what she's doing, right Sparrow?"

"Yeah, Pine would get a kick outta training her. But she might be harder to control," Sparrow said, tilting her head to the side and studying Ann with cold, black eyes.

"Luke?" Ann cautiously approached the unconscious non-bender.

"Trapper, now!" Thistle shouted as he jumped over to Sparrow. He melted the ice spikes, and followed Sparrow out of the abandoned house. A tall, long-limbed guy dropped from the roof of the house and held his hands out. Excruciating pain shot through Ann's entire body, and she could tell her friends felt a similar pain. She groaned as her wrist twisted in ways it shouldn't. She couldn't breath and she started to panic. Suddenly her world went dark.

* * *

"Ash, Ann, wake up," A calm voice brought Ash's mind back. His muscles ached and it felt like his chest had been pounded in by a sledgehammer. His head hurt like he hadn't taken a breath for hours.

"Leavitt, where are we?" Ash asked, rubbing his head and ruffling his already messy red hair.

"Bending house," Leavitt answered, "Thistle and Sparrow brought you two here and when I started to ask why they had you two they locked me down here too. We're in the basement."

"Ow," Ann moaned as she started to wake up.

"Where were we before? Hey Ann, do you remember meeting a fire-bender and her brother? Or did I just have a really weird dream?" Ash started wondering where they had been before, but no matter how hard he thought he couldn't remember.

"Yeah, Kaite and Luke. They were staying at that abandoned house," Ann nodded.

"What house?" Ash asked.

"It was abandoned, we were staying there, and a rat-fox fell through the ceiling," Ann blinked, her eyes glimmered with confusion, "Don't you remember?"

"No, I don't," Ash shook his head.

* * *

"Luke, wake up," Kaite shook her brother by his shoulders. She looked around the abandoned house. Something that she forgot was bugging her.

"Leave me alone," Luke growled, his head ached and Kaite wasn't helping.

"What happened to us?" Kaite asked.

"How should I know, I just woke up," Luke glared at her.

"Sorry I was worried about you," Kaite muttered, "I don't remember anything, or how we got back here. Just waking up. Last thing I remember was getting attacked by those earth-bending idiots who claimed they would kill all fire-benders." Kaite growled, referring to the fight she and Luke had gotten into just before meeting Ash and Ann.

"Yeah, same here, but I kinda remember meeting an odd redheaded kid who was staying with a water-bender. Do you remember that?" Luke asked.

Kaite nodded, but said nothing.

"I'm sure we'll figure it out later," Luke shrugged and sat up, he had been laying on the floor.

* * *

"Hey, someone's coming," Leavitt said as he heard the door at the top of the stairs creak open.

"Hello," A boy with blue eyes and surprisingly pale skin grinned as he came down the stairs. He looked mildly distracted by some thought or another.

"Pine, what's going on?" Leavitt asked.

When Pine had come down the stairs Ash had tensed and was now sitting in front of Ann.

"It seems that we have a very strong bender here, I think they need somewhere to stay. Thistle found them in the snow," Pine said calmly, and suddenly Leavitt's eyes went from confused to confirmed.

"Oh yeah, they didn't have a place to stay," He nodded.

"Pine, leave us out of your stupid plot against the fire-benders," Ash snarled.

"What plot? I was just trying to help you and your friend," Pine said, and Ash's eyes suddenly went to a confirmed thought.

"I guess you're right," Ash said.

"What's up with you two?!" Ann growled, nudging Ash's shoulder.

Ash shook his head, "What?" He looked confused, and looked back towards Pine.

"What are you doing to them?" Ann growled.

"I'm doing nothing, they just realize I'm right," Pine said calmly as he had before.

Nothing happened, Ann stayed the exact same, "I'm not buying it, now what did you do to my friends and why doesn't Ash remember Kaite, Luke, Radar, _or _the abandoned house?"

Pine started to look a little panicked, "What do you mean?" He still kept that calm, eerie focus.

"If you don't leave us alone you'll be sorry, Pine. I don't know what you want but leave us alone," Ann growled, her normally calm features were taut with anger and tension.

"I see you're much harder to control than most people. Thistle was right about you. You're a very strong bender, but do you even realize it?" Pine's eyes were questioning.

"What do you mean control?" Ann asked, her eyes narrowed in question.

"If you sharpen your skills you could control almost anyone, with the exception of other strong and talented water-benders like Thistle and I," Pine smiled encouragingly.

"Enough!" Ash growled, his eyes darted between Pine and Ann, and he almost looked afraid of Ann.

Suddenly there was the sound of something heavy hitting the floor above, and then Bear pounded down the stairs. Radar trotted after him, her large, triangular ears were swiveling around.

"These animals can't harm me, don't you realize that?" Pine sighed, he lifted his hands into a bending position and Radar let out a tormented squeal and her back bent unnaturally, she was squeaking louder.

"Stop!" Ann growled, and Pine stopped, even though it was unwilling.

"Come on, let's get outta here," Ash said. He grabbed Leavitt by the arm and Ann followed them. Ann jumped onto the front of the saddle and felt Ash climb on behind her. Ash had Leavitt climb up behind and they were off. Bear pounded up the stairs as Ann held Radar close; she felt the tiny heart racing through Radar's sides.

* * *

"Luke, are you sure you feel okay?" Kaite asked as she noticed how slowly Luke was moving.

"Yeah, I'm really sore for some reason," Luke winced as he stood up straighter.

"Bear, slow down!" A voice surprised both Kaite and Luke. They saw a blur of color as Bear slid on a patch of icy rock towards them.

As fur collided with fabric and Bear crashed into Kaite and Luke, Ash was thrown over Bear's head and Leavitt and Ann both tumbled forward and landed heavily on the solid stone ground.

"It's you!" Kaite said when she opened her eyes to come face to face with Ash.

"I know you!" Ash exclaimed, equally surprised.

"It's her!" Luke said and pointed at Ann.

"Hi Luke, Kaite," Ann nodded to them.

"How do you know our names?" Kaite asked.

"You told us, but for some reason Ash doesn't remember," Ann said.

"Neither do we," Luke and Kaite cast one another a worried glance.

"That's weird, well, I'm Ann. This is Ash, and this Leavitt," Ann smiled, "Oh, and Bear and Radar."

"Nice to meet you all," Kaite said.

"Nice to re-meet you all, I guess," Ann shrugged.

"Pine, do you want me to alter _all_ of their memories?" A girl whispered into her cellphone.

"_Yes, wipe all of their memories if you can. Pay special attention to the earth-bender and the water-bender. Come right back here afterwards, though,_" Pine's voice came a moment after the girl's question.

"Okay," She nodded. She raised her hands up and watched as all five of the teens became her puppets, "Now, just be easy and forget." _Pine was right, he did tell me she would be hard to control. Guess she's really strong._

Eventually, even Ann's memories were altered around the events of the past day.

* * *

A/N: I know it seemed a bit rushed, but I've changed this a whole lot from my original plan. Pine, Thistle, and Sparrow weren't supposed to come in until chapter 40 but I couldn't resist throwing them in there early. I've messed myself up pretty bad on this one so I hope you all keep ready. Please R&R ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own LoK or AtLA, just my characters and ideas

* * *

Chapter 3

"Hey, can we stay here for awhile?" Ann asked, "We're kinda lost."

"'Course," Kaite nodded.

"You sure you trust them?" Luke mocked his sister.

"Unless you want me to take that shovel and melt it I suggest you shut your trap," Kaite grinned.

"Her name is Bob, not 'that shovel.'" Luke said.

"Do I look like I care?" Kaite asked.

"Not really," Luke sighed.

Kaite noticed Ann was staring at Luke.

"Just a little tip, stay away from my brother," Kaite grinned evilly.

"I'm just gonna go sit over there," Ann squeaked and pointed to where Ash was sitting against the far wall. She walked over and sat next to Ash.

"We'll head home tomorrow, Ann. I'm sure we can find it," Ash said. Since they had all went back inside he had been virtually silent.

"I don't want to go home. Ash, why don't we just stay here for awhile, and then we can leave. I could find a water-bending teacher and you could find an earth-bending teacher. Could we, Ash?" Ann asked, she looked apprehensive about his answer. She wanted to hear but she was afraid of what he would say.

"I don't see why not," Ash shrugged.

"Yo Ash, can I stay with you and Ann for awhile?" Leavitt asked. He was pacing the room, occasionally sending a blast of air at something or other.

"Sure, Leavitt. But why don't you wanna go back to the Bender House?" Ash agreed.

"I don't know, I-I just feel uneasy," Leavitt shrugged.

* * *

"Pine, I did it," the blood-bender from before panted as she collapsed in the middle of the hall.

"Good, good job, Ichtaca," Pine praised her.

"Am I ready to do more advanced jobs?" Ichtaca asked, she looked exhausted. Her eyes were dulled by exhaustion.

"No, but stick with it. I promise next time Tam and Rob come by I'll tell them you were the one who wiped Ash and Ann's memories," Pine said.

"Thank you," Ichtaca smiled. She looked at Pine with sparkling eyes before she scrambled back to her feet and walked back downstairs.

* * *

"I... hate... earth-benders," Kaite panted as she ducked under a rock.

"Leave her alone!" Luke called as he jumped from a rock that towered above everyone and landed behind the earth-bender.

"What is he trying to do? Get himself killed?" one earth-bender chuckled.

"Never doubt Shovel Master!" Luke let out an odd battle cry and charged, beating the poor earth-bender in the back with Bob.

"Well, this'll be easy," Kaite grinned. She looked over to Ann, who was clumsily hitting earth-benders with water. Ash was jumping back and trying to throw rocks at them, but he still wasn't good with his bending.

"Do you still doubt the Shovel Master?!" Luke exclaimed as he chased after the earth-bender.

"No, no!" the earth-bender shouted as he ducked away from the heavy, bruising blows that the shovel brought.

"Luke, leave him alone. I'm sure he'd like to run now," Kaite said with a smug grin towards the earth-bender.

"I'm gettin' outta here!" he exclaimed and ran.

"Useless coward," another, female, earth-bender scoffed as she threw a rock at Ash. It knocked him back. He scrambled to keep him footing and stay in the fight. He ran forward and stomped the ground when he was a foot or so away, tilting the rock under the girl's feet.

"Amateur move," She smirked and threw a rock at Ash; managing to hit his head.

Ash's thoughts immediately went blank, and he was unaware of anything around him.

* * *

Ann gasped when she saw Ash get knocked out, but before he even hit the ground his eyes had snapped open. They were glowing blue. In a voice unlike his he spoke, "_**Stop fighting fire-benders**_, _**the world must have four**_** elements**!" all of the earth-benders looked up as wind whipped everyone's hair. Suddenly the glow faded and Ash sank to the ground.**  
**

"You guys saw that too, right?" Ann gulped.

"Yeah," Kaite nodded.

"Uh, Ash?" Ann said quietly as she approached slowly with shaky knees. She crouched next to her friend, "Ash are you alright?"

"Maybe you should stay away from him, Ann. It might be dangerous," Kaite warned.

"Yeah, Kaite's right," Luke nodded.

"Ash is my friend. I'll always help him when he needs it," Ann said coldly as she whistled for Bear to come. She struggled to get Ash into the wide saddle before she led Bear towards the lake and the abandoned house.

* * *

"Where am I?" Ash looked around so quickly he hurt his neck. Everything was misty and white around him.

"Ash?" A blurred, distorted voice said. A figure appeared, wearing Water Tribe clothes. But through the mist Ash couldn't identify the person. Ash took a step forward, but the mist turned so thick it felt like water. He stumbled and fell. Everything was blurring, half of his vision was in a place where the air was clear and clean, but the other half of his vision was on the misty place. His head throbbed and he felt something warm run down the side of his face.

* * *

"Ann, I know he's your friend and all, but don't you think we should keep our distance until he wakes up?" Kaite suggested as her and Luke walked behind Bear.

"No, he's hurt. We've gotta take care of him," Ann replied over her shoulder as she lead Bear. Radar was standing on Ann's shoulder with her rat tail wrapped around the back of Ann's neck for balance.

"Maybe you should just let Bear walk; he doesn't need to be led," Luke suggested.

"Look, I know that you two are afraid of Ash but I'm not! I could see him kill someone and still not fear him!" Ann growled. Radar jumped and scurried to sit on Bear's neck.

"But just to be safe-"

"Run away if you want, but just shut up," Ann growled. Radar had climbed back up her arm and was playing with the circle of metal on her ponytail holder. The Water Tribe symbol glittered on the circle of metal, "And believe me, I'll never leave Ash in danger."

_She really cares about him, _Kaite thought as she began walking after Bear again.

"Kaite, wait!" Luke begged, "That was freaky, lets leave."

"Nope; don't be a wimp, bro," Kaite smiled as she walked on.

Luke muttered something and followed.

* * *

"Where am I?" Ash whimpered, he still couldn't tell what was real, the mist or the walls around him. He saw an image, a strong looking girl with tan skin and dark brown hair. Her eyes glowed blue as air whipped her hair around. She was about a foot from the ground, supported by air-bendig as water rose from the sea below. Suddenly everything faded, except the room he was in.

"Ash, are you alright?" Ann asked.

"Ugh, head hurts," Ash murmured and rubbed his head, which he now realized had strips of cloth wrapped around it as a substitute for bandages.

"Uh, do you remember what happened?" Ann asked nervously.

"Yeah, I got hit in the head with a rock," Ash said, _but something else happened. I was somewhere so misty the air was almost water._

"Yeah," Ann nodded tiredly. Ash finally noticed how dark the room was, the only source of light was a flickering candle next to Ann.

"What time is it?" Ash groaned.

"Almost two in the morning," Ann said.

"It was seven in the morning when we were fighting! Were you awake this whole time?" Ash exclaimed.

"Sh, Kaite and Luke will be really mad if we wake them up," Ann yawned and motioned to where Luke was against the wall and Kaite was leaning against Bear's side.

"Ann, you need to sleep," Ash whispered.

Ann nodded, and before Ash could say anything elsa Ann slid against the wall, fast asleep.

* * *

"Ann, wake up. Ann, wake up!" Kaite yawned as she tapped Ann's arm with her foot.

"I'm up," Ann yawned, rolling onto her back from her side.

"Luke, Ash, and I are going to find some food. Wanna come?" Kaite asked.

Ann wanted to sleep, nothing more, but she was terrified to be alone, "Sure," she smiled.

"Come on, we're leaving," Kaite said and walked over to where Ash was waiting on Bear. She climbed onto the middle of the saddle, crushed between Ash and Luke. Ann climbed in-between Luke and Kaite, the only open spot left. Leavitt was stuck trying desperately to cling to the side of the saddle, his foot in the styrup and his other foot pressed against Bear's side.

"Sorry, Bear, I know it's a little more than you're used to carrying," Ash apologized to the cat-bear.

Bear just purred at his master's voice, then walked forward. As they reached the base of the mouton path Bear sped up.

"Hold on tight, Leavitt, it would be really bad if you fell on the ice," Ash warned as Bear gained speed and ran up the hill, claws scraping snow and ice and rocks up. Steam billowed in front of Bear's face as he let out heavy breaths. Saliva fell in long strings from his drooping muzzle.

"Ash, maybe we should get another animal, this is really unpleasant!" Leavitt said as he held on tighter to the side of the saddle.

"Maybe you could find a cat-deer to ride," Ash laughed as he urged Bear on faster. The wind pushed his messily spiked hair back and his eyes blazed with adventure. Leavitt pressed tighter to Bear's side as the were going down, afraid the force would send him flying. As Bear pounded down the hill they saw the points of the tallest buildings in Toby City.

"I can't wait until we stop," Leavitt whimpered as he tried to find a more comfortable position pressed against Bear's side.

"Yeah, me neither," Kaite said, she looked like she was about to be sick.

"Ugh, I forgot Kaite gets motion sickness really easy," Luke groaned and leaned as far from his sister as possible.

"Oh! See, there's the Bending House!" Leavitt nodded his head towards a shabby, falling apart at the seams house. A few benders were fighting in front of the house, one even used blood-bending against the other.

"We're not going anywhere near there," Ash said.

_Thank the spirits, _Ann thought, for some reason the house gave her a really uneasy feeling.

"Looks like Tam asked 'em to do something, they never train that seriously unless she does," Leavitt looked mildly scared as they passed the three water-benders who were fighting hard enough to kill.

"Who were they?" Ann asked as she pressed tightly against Luke to stay as far away from Kaite, who still looked sick, as possible.

"Pine, Thistle and Ichtaca," Leavitt spoke loudly over the wind that whistled in their ears, "Pine is the best bender ever, he's never been beaten by anyone in a fight. Thistle's just an idiot, and Ichtaca just sucks up to Pine because she likes him."

"Alright, we're stopping," Ash warned as he tugged back on Bear's reigns. They stopped with a jerk; sending Kaite over their heads and to the ground.

"Owww," She moaned and tried to sit up.

"Sorry," Ash said as he slid out of the saddle.

"Where are we?" Ann asked and looked around.

"Just a place I used to come to and try to steal food when I was little," Ash said as he walked to an overstuffed dumpster and dug out some stale bread and half-eaten fruit.

"Is that where you always used to disappear to?" Ann asked sadly as she realized how hard it had been for Ash to survive.

"Yep," Ash nodded as he leaned farther into the dumpster, "Bear, that's not good for cats!" Ash warned as Bear started licking up some variety of moldy soup.

"Wow, I'm surprised Luke and I never found this place," Kaite chuckled as she pulled a ratty blanket from a pile of discarded junk.

"This place is great, Leavitt and I used to just hang around here when we were kids, until those jerks from the Bending House claimed it as theirs and wouldn't let us near," Ash said through a mouthful of the stale bread. Ann walked over and found a half eaten, slightly browned apple.

"Nice find," Luke said.

Ann took a bite, it was so new to her, not knowing if there would be food for the next meal.

"Wow, someone was wasteful," Kaite said as she retrieved a slice of cake, "Just had to scrape that bit of mold off."

Ann felt like she didn't belong, she was so spoiled and pampered compared to Ash and Leavitt, to Luke and Kaite. She had come from a rich family and she could have gorged herself to obesity had she wanted. She lounged around most days she wasn't at school, watching television and writing stories about people suffering. But now she could finally belong, living with them. In her own way she was like them, in the way they were outcast. Going to a non-bender school, living in a family of Equalists. She had been outcasted the second her paretns saw her blue eyes, dark brown hair, and tan skin. The second she resembled her great great grandmother.

"Wow, we'll have food for awhile," Ash grinned as a cold, late winter breeze brushed his hair to the side.

"Ugh, please let someone else hang onto Bear's saddle," Leavitt begged.

"I'm not," Kaite wrinkled her nose.

"I'd prefer not to be blown off," Luke said.

"And I have to steer," Ash shrugged.

"I could," Ann said.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Leavitt cheered and hugged Ann.

"I'm being hugged," Ann said as she tried to pull away from Leavitt's painfully tight arms, "You're welcome, now get off!"

"Sorry," Leavitt grinned, relieved he didn't have to take the terrifying ride through the mountains.

* * *

"Whooooo!" Ann whooped as the fast wind pushed her hair out of her face. Bear's steady paw steps sent a pulse of movement through Ann as she clung to the side of the saddle.

"You're insane if you aren't afraid, Ann," Leavitt said.

"Nope, this is awesome!" Ann cheered as she let go with one arm and turned her body to face into the wind, she let her arm blow back. But after a few seconds she turned back to the saddle, securing both hands to the leathery side. A bright grin lit her tan features as her tied back hair whipped in front of her face. She had never felt so free, she had never been allowed to ride the animals or to even go out and play on the driveway when she was little. Her parents had stuffed her mind with stupid history abut how benders had killed non-benders unfairly. They told her to be ashamed of herself for trying to use her bending. She had always gone out to the stable where Ash would talk to Bear. She never talked to them, just sat there and watched how close Ash was to the animal. Ann held tighter to Bear's saddle with one hand and rested the other on his shoulder; she felt muscle moving and working under the silky pelt. She admired Bear and Ash's friendship, she never had someone so close.

* * *

"Bear, you got a good workout today, didn't ya, boy?" Ash whispered as he pressed into Bear's fur, everyone else was asleep, but Ash wanted to stay awake and talk to Bear for awhile.

Bear let out a contented groan and laid his head on the cold floor.

"I bet you're tired, buddy," Ash sighed as he drew his fingers through Bear's long, tangled, silky fur. Ash laid there, head against Bear's large, thick chest. Ash listened to the massive pounding of Bear's heart, the quiet hum of his breathing. And soon Ash's eyes dropped shut, his mind too weak to keep a straight thought.

_A baby's cry rang in Ash's ears as wind swept stinging rain into his cheek. The ground beneath his feet swayed and he grabbed onto a side rail for support. Waves hit him and he looked at the dangerous sky. A blue glow filled the air and a small toddler cried out. The child's eyes glowed blue. The boat hit something hard and Ash saw tall, steep cliffs. Screams echoed around him. _

_"What's happening?!" He tried to scream over the noise of the storm around him. He wasn't answered, but he felt himself lose balance. He crashed into stinging salt-water. The boat capsized and pulled him farther from the surface. Again the infant he saw before was there, thrashed through the water. Ash swam forward, trying to keep the child's head above water but he was dragged down again; water filled his mouth and he inhaled some of it. He felt the water get colder, like ice._

* * *

Ash awoke with a start, his head ached and his muscles felt heavy. His long, thin fingers wrapped tightly around Bear's white and orange shoulder fur. Ash's breathing was heavy and he felt sick. A salty taste penetrated his senses as he felt his stomach ache. Fear and pain worked in his mind all at once. He coughed hard, hands trembling and sides aching.

"Ash?" Ann's quiet voice shook him from his terrified frenzy.

"I'm okay, I just had a nightmare," Ash responded, his voice quiet and hoarse. He sounded like he had swallowed salt water.

"No, it was more than that," Ann whispered as she walked over and sat next to him.

"I had a dream like it a whole lot when I was really little," Ash said.

"I remember that, you used to cry. My mother would always starve you when you woke her up," Ann said. She looked shaken, her blue eyes worrying.

"I guess you do remember that," Ash whispered and laid his head against Bear's side again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ann asked.

Ash nodded, his hair rustling against Bear's fur.

"I thought you'd stopped having that dream," Ann whispered quietly.

"So did I," Ash sighed, but didn't look up from where he curled up against Bear.

"Wanna talk about it?" Ann's voice was barely audible, and it was shaky. She always tried to not panic when Ash had that nightmare. Something about him having it made her skin crawl. It made her uneasy.

"It was just like it used to be, only this time I wasn't the infant caught under the boat," Ash explained, "Just like it used to be only this time I was helpless to save an a child in a storm."

"You should try to go back to sleep," Ann commented as she walked back to sit just in front of Bear.

Ash barely heard the thought before he was asleep again, as if the dream had never disturbed him.

* * *

"I really need to work on my bending," Kaite sighed as she sat on a rock, a flame wavering in her palm.

"I thought your bending was really good the other day," Ash said.

"No, it's really not. I need to work on my form, I can't control the flames as well as I should be able to," Kaite sighed as she let the flame grow. It wavered for a moment more before it was blown out by the strong, heavy wind.

"It'd be cool to be a fire-bender," Ash grinned as he kicked a rock over the edge of the cliff in front of him. He watched it drop into the hungry ocean waters below.

"It's not," Kaite growled in her normal, pessimistic manner.

"Sorry," Ash said, "Oh, why did you and Luke run away, anyway?"

"Mind your own business, Ash!" Kaite growled and stood harshly, walked away.

* * *

"Ugh! I can never get it right," Ann growled as she watched the water she was bending fall back into the shallow lake waters.

"Don't you have to be calm to water-bend?" Luke asked.

"I don't know the first thing about water-bending, Luke. I really don't know," Ann muttered as she tried to bring a string of water from the lake. It curled and writhed in protest before crumbling back into the water. Ann threw her arms down in agitation, only to be rewarded by a wave of water rising and crashed at her feet.

"Wow, good job," Luke said as he sat on a rock, polishing Bob.

"Wow, I did it! I actually created a wave," Ann cheered, jumping up and down excitedly. She tried swinging her arms again in a similar motion, moving her wrists and arms separately. Water lapped hungrily around her feet; reaching her ankles and drawing back out. She continued, the waves got bigger and stronger, pulling back more sand and gravel as they retreated back into the large body of water.

"That's impressive," Luke said as he watched the waves lapping up to a foot from the lake.

"This is the most I've ever been able to bend before," Ann smiled as she let the water go limp; it fell back into the wind and caught in the light ripples on the lake. She felt the cold wind tug at her ponytail, enjoyed the goosebumps that rippled across her neck when the cold wind touched her skin, "The first time I've been able to water-bend."

"Come on, Ann. We've gotta head back up," Luke said as he prepared to run up the steep hill.

"Coming," Ann said as she followed.

* * *

A/N: Hey, guys. I really appreciate anyone who has read this far. Thanks. R&R ;D


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own LoK or AtLA, just my ideas and OCs.

* * *

Chapter 4

Ash rolled over against Bear's side, trying to fall asleep. His stomach let out a long, hungry growl.

"I'm gonna kill those thieves next time we run into 'em," Luke moaned as he lay awake in his normal corner.

"They were seven-year-olds, Luke," Ann reminded as she yawned. There was a loud crash of thunder and rain splattered the rock floor underneath holes in the roof. Some of the wood had rotted, leaving large holes in the roof. As the rain picked up snow mixed in.

"You guys must be miserable without jackets," Luke gazed sympathetically at Ann and Ash. Ann wore a thin fabric, long-sleeve dark blue shirt with thin jeans that were acquiring holes and tears. Ash wore a t-shirt with short-sleeves and ripped up, faded sweatpants.

"Yeah," Ann shivered as she pressed against Bear's thick neck fur.

Ash just grunted in response as he pressed deeper into Bear's fur.

Radar climbed up Ann's arm and laid around her shoulders, her long tail curling in Ann's hair for balance. The rain picked up force, making the abandoned house shudder and creak. Thunder rattled the last remaining window and wind shook the trees behind the house.

"Kaite and I know a few spots to find jackets, we can scavenge for one tomorrow," Luke yawned, "If those places haven't started hiding their trashcans too."

"I don't see why they do, if you throw it out why should they want to keep it away from us," Ann sighed sadly.

"We're outcasts, they think we should starve, or freeze, or maybe get mauled by animals; someone tried to lock me in a cage with a trapped Platypus-bear once," Luke smiled bitterly, "They don't care about us, even if we are kids."

"Can you guys be quiet, I'm trying to sleep," Ash yawned as he rolled over again.

Ann nodded, suddenly looking very tired herself. She pulled her legs closer to her chest and leaned back against the wall.

Ash let his mind wander, deep in thought, _Maybe we'll stay here for another week. Doubt that Ann's parents will wanna see us back anytime soon,_ he thought sleepily as he laid against Bear's large side. Soon his eyes grew too heavy to resist the welcome darkness of sleep.

* * *

_"Ash, Ash please listen," a blurred, distorted voice begged through the fog._

_"Where am?" Ash called again, dense fog curled up to his knees and he felt solid, cold stone under his bare feet. He saw one figure to his left and one to his right._

_"Ash, come here, I can tell you about your parents," one voice offered._

_"No, Ash, you need to learn about your past and your past lives," the first voice reasoned._

_"First answer me!" Ash cried into the fog._

_"I can answer your question," a clearer figure appeared. She was an elderly woman wearing air-bender style clothes._

_"Where am I?" Ash asked._

_"You'r-" she was cut off._

_"Jinora, he has to figure it out on his own," the first figure finally made their way through the fog. She was an older woman as well, dressed in water-bender style clothes._

_"We've kept enough from him, Korra," Jinora argued._

_"It's his job to find it out on his own," Korra said sternly, stubbornly._

_"Can one of you explain my dreams?" Ash begged._

_"Yes, that's why we were sent here," Jinora smiled gently._

_"What are those dreams?" Ash asked._

_"They're memories," Jinora said._

_"Of what?" Ash was getting annoyed._

_"When you were a toddler," Korra seemed just as annoyed with Ash as he was with them._

_"That really happened to me? Then how did I end up with Ann's family?!" Ash growled._

_"Your parents found you again, but then Ann's mother kidnapped you," Jinora said, "When you were a baby I was told to take you and seal you in an iceberg until the world was ready for the next a-"_

_"Shut it, Jinora!" Korra snapped irritably, "We _aren't _supposed to tell him that yet."_

_"I did as I was told, but something happened and a couple found you in the water. They took care of you on their way to shore until their boat crashed. You were the only survivor, Ash," Jinora sighed as she watched Ash's expression change._

_"How can I not remember any of that?" Ash asked dryly._

_"You were a baby, idiot," Korra said._

_"Hey! Don't be rude," Ash snapped. He looked around._

_"Ash, do you want to know what happened to your parents? These people won't tell you," the second person from before said._

_"Ash, don't move," Korra warned as she stepped around Ash to stand between him and the person._

_"You think, that just because you _were_ a great Avatar that you can beat me?" the voice chuckled, echoing around them. Suddenly Korra froze, something wasn't right._

_"Korra?" Jinora stepped towards her old friend._

_"Get Ash back to the physical world, now!" Korra snapped as her arm bent jerkily behind her back. _

_Everything blurred and faded around Ash. Then it was pitch black._

* * *

Ash rolled onto his side, hoping to get his neck out of the awkward position it was in against Bear's leg. A thin, icy drizzle still fell through the holes in the ceiling. Ash's breath fogged the air in front of his face and he looked around. Dim orange and red light spilled through the empty doorframe. Everyone else was still asleep, their even breathing was quiet and gentle in the patterns of sleep.

Radar's claws scraping across the stone floor as she scampered across the room made Ash look up. His blood chilled as he locked eyes with Sparrow; she was sitting in the doorway.

"Hey," she greeted with a grin, "I just came with a message from Pine, he wanted me to tell you 'that water-bender is a lot more powerful than you think. Be careful.'" as she straightened her back to leave she glanced at Ann, "And I have a warning of my own, without proper training her bending will be out of her control."

"What do you mean?" Ash hissed quietly, trying not to wake anyone else up.

"You'll figure it out," Sparrow grinned as she left. After she was out of sight, hidden by the wall, and a bird flew past the window.

* * *

"I delivered the message, Pine. How did it go, using blood-bending to enter the Spirit World, I mean?" Sparrow asked as she walked into the basement of the Bending House. Blood-bending training often took place there.

"Good, though Ichtaca is pretty tired right now. Blood-bending without a full moon isn't easy. And entering the Spirit World with your bending only, I've only managed that once," Pine stated in his normally forgetful, distracted tone.

"I remember, you were trying to make contact with the spirit of a change-bender to teach me," Sparrow smiled.

"Ah yes, that was for you," Pine nodded in conformation and muttered to himself.

"I think Tammy's gonna be stopping by soon," Sparrow said.

"Hm, good, we need the money," Pine muttered and headed towards the stairs and walked up.

_Just his bending to the Spirit World, if Ichtaca keeps helping him then she'll end up like him, _Sparrow sighed as she walked upstairs and turned off the lights. She pulled the door shut as she walked out and went to her room. She lay on the floor; her room, like all the others, had no furniture in it. It only had blankets, a small chest for clothes and any person belongings, and a pillow. The ceiling fan spun lazily, casting shifting shadows on the ceiling.

* * *

"Bear, this way," Ash said as he led Bear through the alleyways between houses.

"It's just this way; I'm sure there are jackets here. The store throws 'em out whenever they have holes in them," Kaite said as she walked in front of Ash, Ann, Luke, Leavitt, and Bear. A cold wind blew around everyone, making Kaite pull her hood up and adjust the collar of the jacket that reached halfway up her cheeks and flopped weakly against her face. As they approached they heard the sound of fighting.

Ash immediately stopped Bear and crept forward, peering around the corner. He saw a boy about two years older than them fire-bending against three slightly older guys who were using earth-bending. Without thinking he slipped out of his hiding spot.

"Three against one seems kind of unfair, don't you think?" he smirked as he stepped forward.

"What's a shrimp like you gonna do?" the fire-bender look terrified but amused.

"I've got friends," Ash shrugged as Kaite walked to stand near him.

Luke and Ann ran to block off the earth-benders escape.

Leavitt air-flipped onto a roof nearby to make sure the earth-benders didn't take that route.

Bear and Radar joined Ash and Kaite. Bear growled as he stood next to his owner.

"They're all just kids," the oldest earth-bender smirked. He stomped his foot on the ground and sent a rock up to a level where he could punch it towards Ann.

She jumped out of the way and managed a shaky stream of water from a nearby puddle.

"Oh, are you gonna splash us?" a slightly taller, skinnier earth-bender asked tauntingly.

"I'm a master water-bender, so you better watch it," Ann bluffed weakly as she attempted to water-whip one of the earth-benders. The water fell and stained the concrete darker grey.

"Master?! Oh spirits, that's too funny!" the third earth-bender laughed hard as he watched Ann try to bend more water.

"Stop laughing, it's getting obnoxious," Luke yawned as he pulled out Bob.

"This isn't our fight," Kaite warned.

"Any fight that involves benders from the Bending House involves Leavitt and I," Ash said as he let go of Bear's lead rope.

"And any fight Ash is pulled into involves me," Ann smirked.

"Thank you," the fire-bender said, weak with relief. He ran off, leaving Ash, Ann, Kaite, Luke, and Leavitt to fight.

"Well, at least there's still one fire-bender to kill. Maybe Pine _might _forgive our failure," the first earth-bender sighed.

"Yeah, and I'm sure we'll get points for catching that water-bender. Pine needs more blood-benders," the taller earth-bender nodded.

"And Pine doesn't mind one less non-bender in the world," the middle height earth-bender smirked.

"You wouldn't attack Ash and I, would you guys?" Leavitt nervously backed away from the scene, ready to turn and air-bend off of the roof and run.

"As far as we're concerned, Leavitt, you're just another bender in Pine's way," the oldest earth-bender glared at the air-bender.

"Come on, Harue, don't tell me that our friendship broke that quickly because I left for a few day," Leavitt nearly begged.

"You're helping our enemy, Leavitt," Harue growled.

"No, I'm helping another bender! Pine says all benders are our friends," Leavitt argued, "Why are you killing fire-benders?"

"Pine says that Tam asked us to, so we do," Harue shrugged.

"How do we even know Tammy's a real person? we've never seen 'em in real life. We don't even know if they're a guy or a girl!" Leavitt growled.

"Yeah but whenever we do what Tam tells us to we get a lot of money, so that's enough for us," Harue's brother shrugged.

"Idiots, all you care about is money," Leavitt growled as he got ready to fight.

Harue immediately started the fight, bending the ground under Ash, Bear, Kaite, and Radar. He tried to tip it but Ash jumped off and Kaite followed. Bear grabbed Radar by the scruff with his gentle teeth and leapt off after his master. As soon as Ash's feet had hit the ground Harue caught him by the neck and slammed him into the wall.

"Shing, kill the fire-bender. Choa, capture the water-bender," Harue ordered his younger brothers.

"Alright," Shing said and launched a rock towards Kaite's head.

Ash struggled against Harue's hand, trying to breathe. He kicked towards Harue's shins and knees, trying desperately to free himself. He struggled hard, until a blast of wind launched Harue back.

"Thanks, Leavitt," Ash panted, assuming the blast of wind had come from his friend.

"That wasn't me," Leavitt said so quietly Ash didn't hear it.

Ash punched the ground to create a pillar of rock in front of him. He kicked a chunk directly at Harue's head. The rock made contact with Harue's shoulder instead and knocked him to the ground. He stood and sent a rock towards Ash's head, hitting him in the side of the head hard. Blood dripped down the side of Ash's face as he crumpled to the ground.

"Ash!" Ann squeaked as she tried to get to her best friend.

Harue threw a rock towards Ann and succeeded in knocking her out as well.

"Harue, look out," Shing warned as Leavitt kicked Harue in side.

"That was a weak attack," Harue smirked as he threw a punch at Leavitt.

Leavitt ducked and kicked Harue's legs out from under him.

Harue twisted in mid-fall to land on Leavitt's back; managing to knock the wind out of the air-bender.

Leavitt lay there gasping for a few seconds before he jumped back to his feet and ran at Harue.

Harue dodged a kick and caught Leavitt's ankle. He flipped the lean air-bender over his head and onto the ground hard. Leavitt didn't stand back up after that, he lay with the side of his face in a small puddle and gasped for breath in the cold air.

Kaite and Luke were fighting against Shing and Choa, but where outnumbered when Harue was free to fight. Kaite sent small, controlled blasts of fire at Shing and Choa but was caught off guard by a rock from Harue. It hit her in the stomach and knocked her against the wall. She struggled to move the large rock but weakly gave up.

"Hey, this is really unfair, y'know," Luke backed away from the group of earth-benders. He held Bob much like one would hold a knife, "three wimps against me."

"You don't even have a proper weapon; how can you call _us _the wimps?" Choa laughed.

"Yeah I do. I'm the Shovel Master!" Luke growled. He was backed against a wall.

"Hey, how about we even the playing field?" a girl ran around the corner of the house. She wore a traditional Water Tribe coat and torn, ragged boots that reached her knees. She wore a pair of skinny jeans, making the rest of her outfit seem odd. Her dark hair was done in a braid that fell down her back, but two smaller braids wrapped around the sides of her head to join the thicker braid. She had tan skin and fierce blue eyes with a confident smirk.

"How many vermin are there around here?" Shing sneered in disgust as the girl sent a water-whip at his face. He stomped the ground to raise a wall of earth.

"I thought you'd do that," the girl smiled as she jumped and used the wall to leap off of, she bent water from a nearby puddle to soften her landing as she punched Shing hard in the middle of the face, "next time I do suggest you refrain from calling me a vermin." She gave an intimidating smile. Her accent made it clear she had lived in the Fire Nation recently.

"What the-!" Choa was cut off as the hilt of a sword made painful contact with the back of his head and knocked him out.

"I'm giving you one chance to get your brothers out of here," the boy responsible for the attack said humorlessly.

Harue grabbed the back of Choa's shirt and grabbed Shing's arm as he ran.

"Hey, are you alright?" the girl asked Luke.

Luke could only nod and gape as Dana streamed water from a puddle and began to heal Ash's head.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Luke," he answered.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled, "I'm Dana."

"That's a nice name," Luke smiled.

"Sato, go find Miko," Dana said to the older boy with her.

"Fine," Sato said as he walked off in the direction they had come from. He returned a minute later with a child who looked about four. The child wore Fire Nation style clothes.

"I've healed your friends but they might be unconscious for awhile. You probably wanna get them inside somewhere dry and safe," Dana smiled as she walked away.

"Thank you," Luke called after her. He then looked at his friends and groaned, it would take forever to get them all back to the abandoned house.

* * *

_Ugh, Kaite's heavy! _Luke thought as he laid his sister down against the wall in the corner of the abandoned house.

Bear shuffled in and flopped down against the wall, licking a forepaw and drawing it across his ears. His jaws stretched in a wide yawn as he laid his head down.

"I agree, cat-bear," Luke yawned as he sat lazily in front of Bear's outstretched front paws. He yawned again and closed his eyes.

* * *

"Luke! Wake up," Kaite irritably kicked her brother in the side.

"Owwwww," Luke whimpered as he curled into a tight ball to avoid another kick in the ribs.

"Luke, how'd we get back here?" Ann asked.

"I carried Kaite and Bear carried you, Ash, and Leavitt," Luke murmured.

"How'd you fight those three earth-benders?" Leavitt asked curiously.

"_I _didn't, a water-bender named Dana showed up. There was also some guy with her named Sato. Dana healed you guys after she kicked those earth-benders' butts," Luke answered as he sat up and stretched his arms, accidentally hitting Bear's muzzle.

"I think we probably need to go get jackets for Ash and Ann now," Leavitt suggested as Radar scampered up his arm and stood with her hind paws on his shoulder and her front paws on his head.

"Yeah, we really should," Ann agreed with a small shiver.

* * *

A/N: Hello, readers! :D Please R&R ;) Thanks so much for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own AtLA or LoK, this is why this is called a FANfiction.

* * *

Chapter 5

"It feels really good to have a jacket, finally," Ann said as she zipped up the furry jacket that went to the middle of her hands on the sleeves and the bottom of the jacket reached her mid thighs. A few holes covered the shoulders of the jacket.

"Thanks for bringing us back here," Ash nodded in agreement with his friend as he pulled the hood up to block the wind from his ears. His jacket was an emerald green hoodie that was three or four sizes too big. There was a rip where the hood connected to the jacket.

"Hey there," a familiar voice caught Luke's attention. He turned to see Dana walked around the corner with a book in her gloved hands.

"Hi Dana," Luke smiled stupidly.

"Do you know her, Luke?" Ann asked, a hint of jealousy tinted her voice.

Kaite side glanced at Ann, wondering if the water-bender had forgotten her previous warning.

"Yeah, she's the one who healed you all," Luke nodded, "Guys, this is Dana. Dana these are my friends; Ann, Ash, Leavitt, my sister Kaite, and this is Radar. That's Bear."

"Nice to meet you all," Dana smiled politely. She marked her spot in the book with a torn piece of paper and closed it, "Oh, Sato, come here!"

"What do you want?" Sato moaned as he walked around the corner to join his sister. He was carrying a small child who was fast asleep, "Oh, it's these wimps."

"Be nice Sato!" Dana scolded as she batted her brother's ear with her hand.

"Fine! You annoying little brat," Sato growled irritably to his sister before turning to look at the others, "Your name's Luke, right?"

"Yeah, thanks for helping us," Luke thanked.

"No problem, so what're their names?" Sato asked, motioning towards the others.

"This is Kaite, that's Ann, Ash, Leavitt, Radar, and Bear," Luke introduced.

"Alright, now let's go home, Dana. Miko's getting heavier everyday and I don't wanna carry him much longer today," Sato growled as he turned to leave.

"I guess I'll see you guys around, maybe," Dana smiled as she left. The bag slung over her shoulder was stuffed with books. One slipped out, the pages were blown open.

"Dana, wait!" Luke called after her as he picked up the book and ran after her. He turned the corner and saw that they were gone; Dana had run to catch up with Sato and rounded a corner. Luke looked down at the book in his hands, "'Avatar, Where did They Go?'"

"Luke, come back here," Kaite said as she walked over to her brother, "We're leaving."

"Right," Luke nodded thoughtfully as he shoved the book into the oversized pocket on his jacket.

* * *

_Why the heck is that keychain light on? _Kaite thought blearily as she was woken up by the small but bright beam of light.

Luke was in his usual spot hunched over a book he had been obsessing over for days. He shone the small beam of light across the words.

_I'll kill him tomorrow if he doesn't go to sleep soon, _Kaite growled as she turned her head the other way.

* * *

_Maybe, maybe Ash is the Avatar. His eyes did glow blue that time, and maybe the wind grew so strong then because he was air-bending. And he is an earth-bender, _Luke thought as his tired eyes scanned the page. His head hurt from reading by the light of a keychain and his thoughts whirled with the new information, _Could he really be the reincarnation of great grandma?_

* * *

"Wow, your bending is improving," Ash said brightly as he sat on a rock watching Ann lift her hand to control a messy, tense trail of water.

"I know! And watch this," Ann said as she sat next to the water and let her foot rest a tiny bit in the water. A scratch the stretched across the tight skin on the bottom of her foot was enveloped in water that began to glow. The cut closed and the glow faded.

"Whoa!" Ash looked surprised.

"I figured it out yesterday when I was putting my hand in the water after I had gotten a scratch from Radar and it healed. Isn't it amazing?" Ann grinned.

"That's really cool, I thought only master water-benders could heal, though," Ash questioned.

"I can only heal cuts that are about a half centimeter long and small bruises, maybe the size of a coin. So it's kind of worthless but maybe I _can _get better at healing," Ann smiled. She stood back up and began practicing with streaming the water around again. It was a simple exercise but it helped her learn many other techniques.

"I wish I were a water-bender, that'd be _so _much better than being an earth-bender," Ash sighed.

"How? Each element has their own pros and cons, ya know," Ann said as she let the water drop, "Water is fairly easy to control, but you've gotta be calm. Earth is easy to attack and block with but you have to know what you're doing. Fire is warm and can save you but it can also destroy you or people and things around you. And air isn't very strong but it's calm and gentle. Ash, just be happy with the element you can bend."

"Easy for you to say, you can heal and water-whip but all I can do is throw rocks around!" Ash complained.

"And make shields, and walls, and with enough practice you could metal-bend!" Ann countered.

"What's so great about that?" Ash argued.

"I think it's be cool," Ann frowned as she pulled another stream of water from the lake. She let it form a jagged, shaky line that zig-zagged unevenly around her. It was nothing like what a master's bending should look like, or even an amateur. Her bending was untaught and messy.

"I just wish I could bend more than one element, it'd be cool to not have to envy other benders," Ash yawned as he skipped a pebble across the lake.

"Why don't you stop being lazy and stop complaining and practice your bending a little?" Ann asked, slightly annoyed.

"Good point," Ash realized he was irritating her. He began practicing different earth-bending stances.

* * *

Kaite jumped and fire-kicked at the empty, cracked stone fountain in the forest behind the house. It had ice covering it and making it slick. She fire-punched at it and then jumped and did a flip midair; she fire-kicked it again. Her hair fell in her eyes as she landed and she twitched her head to the side so it fell back in place. Drops of water were dripping down the icy rock of the fountain.

"What's wrong, Kaite?" Luke asked as he walked over to his sister.

"Nothing, it's stupid," Kaite dismissed her brother's concern with a wave of her hand before returning to brutally attacking the ice. Soon water filled the bottom of the fountain and melted the bits of snow that were in the corners. She sent one last blast of fire at the ice before she turned and walked away. She walked away from the lake where Ash and Ann were training, away from the small cave Leavitt had found where he liked to practice, and away from the fountain where Luke stood. She walked into the thicker parts of the forest; her mind on something other than her own surroundings, "Who's there?" she growled when she heard something approaching her.

A small, non-threatening, chirping, yipping squeak sounded as Radar bounded over and climbed up Kaite's leg and arm and to her shoulder.

"Stupid rat-fox," Kaite growled as she rubbed the side of Radar's face, "Ann's your owner, go back to her."

Radar wrapped her tail around the back of Kaite's neck for balance and stood on her hind paws to look out.

"I don't want you here you stupid rat-fox, go back to your owner!" Kaite growled as she brushed Radar's tail off and picked the rat-fox up and off of her shoulder. She set her on the ground and continued walking.

Radar yipped and trotted along next to Kaite's feet.

"Fine, you stupid animal, just shut up," Kaite groaned as she agreed to let Radar follow her. Radar trotted silently along, "You know I came this way to be alone, right?"

Radar stayed silent.

"I didn't want anything else around to annoy me; I need to think," Kaite murmured. She almost enjoyed the presence of the small creature. It helped her think somehow. Soon her anger faded, she didn't know why she still got mad over an out of date newspaper article but it always ticked her off. As her temper cooled off she turned around and headed back to the abandoned house, which was less and less abandoned by the day.

* * *

"Ann, we need to get inside soon," Ash yawned, "come on."

"Alright," Ann nodded as she scrambled up the steep hill behind Ash. They walked back to the old, abandoned building. Radar was curled up on Bear's neck, fast asleep. When Ash sat down next to Bear Radar woke up and looked around before trotting over to Ann.

Kaite retreated to her corner before she started sorting desperately through a backpack that she carried. She finally pulled out a slip of paper, but when she saw it her eyes narrowed. She shoved it deep into her pocket and continued digging through the various objects until she found another piece of paper.

"What's that?" Luke asked.

"Luke, it's a plane ticket back home. I want you to go home. It's getting dangerous here and with me being a fire-bender I'm just trouble to be around," Kaite said as her face reddened.

"No! Why would I want to go back home while you're out here risking your life just for being a fire-bender?!" Luke growled.

"Luke please," Kaite looked up with desperate eyes. She had always been the one to make smart decisions quickly or do something quickly without someone else's opinion but she had never done anything like this.

"I'm not going," Luke shook his head stubbornly.

"Can you two argue about this in the morning?" Leavitt yawned, "the rest of us are still trying to sleep."

"I'm fine with that," Luke growled in agreement.

"_Hey!_" Kaite growled, "maybe I want to continue this conversation right now!"

Ann let out an irritated moan from where she laid by the wall with Radar on her shoulder, "guys," she held the word out in a long whine, "I wanna go to sleep be quiet."

"Agreed," Leavitt yawned and went to the farthest corner from the bickering siblings.

"I'm going to sleep," Luke growled coldly to his sister and went to sit by the door. He let the cool air cool his rising temper as he fell asleep.

* * *

_"He didn't do it! He loved great grandma he'd never kill her!" young, three-year-old Kaite cried after the metal-bending officers who were taking her cousin away for a crime he didn't commit but took credit for, it had been three years since the crime had even happened._

_"Kaite," her mother said as she laid a gentle hand on Kaite's shoulder._

_"Why did he say he did it? I know he didn't!" Kaite cried._

_"You'll understand, eventually," her mother smiled sadly and picked Kaite up before walking into the large house behind her. In a sudden blur time went bye. Kaite played tag with her younger brother. But something went wrong. A blast of fire and Luke's screams. Everything blurred around her._

"Kaite!" cold water broke through Kaite's dream as she was soaked to the bone in cold, icy water.

"What's happening?" Kaite asked as she grew a little dizzy.

"You were screaming. Are you alright?" Luke asked, he looked shaken and scared. He hadn't seen Kaite this scared for at least seven years.

"Yeah, I was just having a nightmare," Kaite nodded with a small shudder as she remembered the bright flames that hung at the back of her mind every waking second of her life. She would never be able to forgive herself for what had happened. And seeing the edge of an old, light pink scar on Luke's shoulder just past the collar of his shirt didn't help her forget what had happened.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ann asked, concern laced her soft voice.

"I'm fine, just leave me alone, guys," Kaite snapped suddenly. She didn't like people worrying about her. It was bad enough she had caused her brother so much trouble, she could hardly stand to have others trying to take care of her, "and why'd you dump water on me?!"

"We couldn't wake you up; we tried talking to you, shaking you, and having Radar bite your fingers. We eventually asked Ann to bring some water from the lake up and dump it on you," Ash yawned as he walked back to where Bear laid.

Kaite didn't reply to that explanation. Had Ann really climbed up _and _down the hill to the lake in the pitch black, cloud-covered night just to get water to wake her up? Kaite yawned and shifted back into her comfy corner. She let herself fall asleep again, but deep in her mind she feared a world where she could not occupy her mind and keep out the memories that haunted her.

_Flames, everywhere. Fire, bright, hot, red, fire. It came from her hands, her palms, she created the fire that hurt her brother. The flames that had burned down the trees she had loved to climb. The flames that made her who she was, an outcast who dragged her brother along through her troubles. The flames that made earth-benders hunt her._

* * *

"I think I'll stay here today," Luke sighed as he looked down at Kaite, still asleep.

"Okay, Ash wants to go investigate about those earth-benders we encountered the other day. Leavitt and I are going with him," Ann said.

"Lets go, Bear," Ash urged as he tried to get Bear to step outside onto the cold, damp ground.

Bear let out a long, low groan of protest as he stepped onto the wet, cold mud.

"Come on," Ash sighed as he tugged on the lead rope once again.

Bear stepped hesitantly forward so the lead rope was slack.

"Ann, we're leaving," Ash called.

"Okay," Ann ran out of the abandoned house.

"Leavitt, hurry up!" Ash shouted to his friend who was chasing after Radar.

"Radar, come here," Ann kneeled and held her hand on the ground for Radar to climb up her arm. The rat-fox scampered up her owner's arm to rest on Ann's shoulder. Ash climbed up into the saddle that stretched across Bear's back. Ann climbed up behind him and Leavitt was in back. As soon as Bear started trotting he got faster until his claws tore up dirt. As the tops of the buildings of Toby City appeared Ash knew something was wrong. Smoke billowed through the air from a building near the edge of the city.

"Whoa," Ash breathed quietly as he urged Bear to go faster. Bear sped along sidewalks and alleyways that hid him from cars. Soon they reached the house and saw the entire thing crumbling to fire.

"Why hasn't anyone called the Fire Department?" Ann coughed as smoke choked her senses.

"Maybe no one plans to," Ash coughed as he covered his nose and mouth with his wrist. He slid out of the saddle and got a little closer to the hot, bright flames.

"_Help!_" a faint cry reached them.

"Someone's still in there," Ann said as she ran to stand beside Ash, "we have to help them."

"How?" Ash coughed.

"Leavitt, clear some of this smoke. Ash, can you create supports for the doorframe?" Ann demanded.

"Yeah," Ash nodded, his eyes watered.

"Then do it," Ann said as she streamed water from a puddle. As soon as the doorway was open enough Ann rushed in. Ash and Leavitt ran after her as she looked through the smoke, flames, and crumbling architecture for anyone. She climbed over some boards that were still flaming. As she pushed deeper into the building she had to crawl close to the ground. Ash and Leavitt struggled behind her. Finally Ann found the people responsible for the cries. A man and woman huddled close, holding a child between them.

"Ann, slow down," Ash croaked through the smoke.

"Leavitt, can you clear the air in here a little?" Ann coughed as she used the water with her to douse some of the stronger flames that blocked the path to the closest window.

The air cleared a little and Ash was already bending supports to hold the window frame up.

"You can get out through there," Ann motioned towards the window. The man nodded in thanks as he hurried his family out.

"Lets get out too," Leavitt choked out.

"Yeah," Ann and Ash agreed quickly.

Leavitt was the first to the window and he climbed out quickly. Ash reached it next. Finally Ann reached the window and got out.

Bear was waiting for them, and Radar rushed to her owner's side and licked Ann's face, making sure she was okay.

"Come on, get up Ash," Leavitt panted as he helped his friend to his feet.

"I'm alright, Radar," Ann murmured as she petted the rat-fox's head.

* * *

A/N:Thanks for reading :D And sorry for the wait on this new chapter, on another story I'm writing I just got a flood of reviews so I've been going crazy on that story to keep the reviewers. Thanks for taking time to read this, R&R, I'd like to know what you think ;D


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